Vote No on 48, 59: Two New Web Sites

Diana Hsieh has created two new web pages criticizing Colorado’s Amendments 48 and 59.

“Vote No on Amendment 59” describes what the measure would do — and why it’s a bad idea. As Diana points out, one problem with the measure is that it would expand political control of other areas:

Amendment 59 isn’t about increasing funding for Colorado’s government schools. Instead, the measure frees up general funds currently spent on education. So it enables politicians to spend more of your money on their pet projects.

Even the supporters of Amendment 59 admit that. The Rocky Mountain News quoted Amendment 59 supporter Carol Hedges of the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute as saying that “a dedicated source of funding for schools could reduce the pressure on the general fund, and in turn allow legislators more opportunity for investing in other priorities, such as health care, higher education and transportation.” The same story also quoted David Miller of the Denver Foundation as saying: “As I understand it, SAFE does more than just support education. If it passes, it would free up general fund dollars for health care, which is why the Colorado Health Foundation is a big supporter.”